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Theses and Dissertations Graduate School

2010

The Grapes of Wrath; A Costume Design Thesis

Kenann Quander
Virginia Commonwealth University

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 THE GRAPES OF WRATH: A COSTUME DESIGN THESIS

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of
Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

By

KENANN M. QUANDER
Bachelor of Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003

TONI-LESLIE JAMES
DIRECTOR OF COSTUME DESIGN, DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia
February 2010

I
© Kenann Modjeska Quander 2010
All Rights Reserved

II
 Acknowledgments

The Author wishes to thank her parents and brothers for all of their love and support over
the past five years, helping her to move from place to place so that she could follow her
dreams. I would also like to thank the head of Virginia Commonwealth University’s
costume department, Toni-Leslie James, for giving me the lead and the confidence to do
what I always knew I could accomplish and validating what it means to be a costume
designer.

III
 Table of Contents

Chapter Page
Figures List…..…………………………………………………………………………….vii
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………10
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..11
Script Analysis………………………………………………………………...13
Research……………………………………………………………………….16

Design Process
Design Concept ……………………………………………………………....28
Preliminary Costume Sketches………………………………………………..34
Final Renderings………………………………………………………….......49
Build process
Over-Dyeing and Bleaching Fabric Samples………………………………….64
Distressing Costumes for The Grapes of Wrath……………………………... 69
Final Costume /Fittings………………………………………………………..72

Post-Show Process Evaluation

w/ Production Photographs……………………………………………………………......77

Biblography/ Credit…………………………………………………………....83
Appendix……………………………………………………………………....84

IV
 Figure List
Script Analysis
Figure 1. Lange’s image of African Americans during the depression …………………13
Figure 2. Lange’s photograph of a woman and child………………………………….....15

Research
Figure 3. Disfarmer photograph of a young man in the late 1930’s ……………………17
Figure 4. Lange’s photograph of a group of men……………………………………….18
Figure 5. Lange’s photograph of a woman and man in a field………………………….19
Figure 6. Lange’s photograph of two women and a dog………………………………..19
Figure 7. Lange’s photograph of a couple on a farm …………………………………..20
Figure 8. Disfarmers portrait of three men in his studio ……………………………….20
Figure 9. Disfarmer portrait of an older couple ………………………………………...21
Figure 10. Lange’s photograph of an old man with a suit on …………………………...21
Figure 11. Lange’s photograph of a boy ………………………………………………..22
Figure 12. Lange’s photograph of a boy ………………………………………………..22
Figure 13. Disfarmers portrait of a young man in defiant pose………………………... 23
Figure 14. Lange’s photograph of a young woman thinking …………………………...24
Figure 15. Lange’s image of little girls by a car ………………………………………..25
Figure 16. Lange’s image of a young woman alone …………………………………....25
Figure 17. Lange’s photograph of men in an open wagon ……………………………..26
Figure 18. Lange’s image of a poor family ………………………………………….…27
Figure 19. Lange’s portrait of a large family gathered together ……………………….27

Design Concept
Figure 20. Lange’s photograph of a little girl during the Depression ……....................28
Figure 21. Preliminary costume thumbnails …………………………………………..30
Figure 22. Thumbnails for the women in “Grapes.” ………………………………..…31
Figure 23. Preliminary fabric samples ………………………………………………...32
Figure 24. Second page of preliminary fabric samples ……………………………..…33

Prelimanary Sketches
Figure 25. Preliminary sketches for Tom Joad ………………………………………..35
Figure 26. Preliminary sketches for Jim Casy………………………………………....36
Figure 27. Preliminary sketches for Ma Joad ………………………………………....37
Figure 28. Preliminary sketches for Pa Joad. ………………………………………....38
Figure 29. Preliminary sketches for Granma Joad…………………………………….39
Figure 30. Preliminary sketches for Granma Joad …………………………………….40
Figure 31. Preliminary sketches for Al Joad …………………………………………..41
Figure 32. Preliminary sketches for Connie Rivers ………………………...................42

V
Figure 33. Preliminary sketches for Rose of Sharon……………………………….…..43
Figure 34. Preliminary sketches for Uncle John……………………………………… 44
Figure 35. Preliminary sketches for Noah Joad………………………..........................45
Figure 36. Preliminary sketches for Ruthie Joad……………………………………....46
Figure 37. Preliminary sketch for Winfield Joad. ……………………………………..47

Figure 38. Production photograph of the scenic environment………….........................48

Final Costume Renderings

Figure 39. Tom Joad ……………………………………………………………………51
Figure 40. Jim Casy …………………………………………………………………….52
Figure 41. Ma Joad ……………………………………………………………………...53
Figure 42. Pa Joad ……………………………………………………………………....54
Figure 43. Granma Joad ………………………………………………………………...55
Figure 44. Granpa Joad……………………………………………………………….....56
Figure 45. Al Joad ………………………………………………………………………57
Figure 46. Connie Rivers ……………………………………………………………….58
Figure 47. Rose of Sharon……………………………………………………………….59
Figure 48. Uncle John …………………………………………………………………..60
Figure 49. Noah Joad…………………………………………………………………….61
Figure 50. Ruthie Joad …………………………………………………………………..62
Figure 51. Winfield Joad………………………………………………………………...63

Over dyeing and Bleaching Fabric samples

Figure 52. White washed fabric samples ………………………………………………..65
Figure 53. White washed and over dyed fabric samples………………………………...66

Distressing for The Grapes of Wrath

Figure 54. Distressed jean jacket next to the original jacket for Scottsboro Boys............68
Figure 55. Example of wholes put into costume for The Grapes of Wrath……………..69
Figure 56. An example of Schumutz being used on costumes to make them look dirty
…………………………………………………………………………………………...70
Figure 57. Example of distressing on Olivia Luna’s dress ……………………………...71

Final Costume Choices

Figure 58. Jenny Hann in Costume ……………………………………………………..73
Figure 59. Nicole Carter in Costume…………………………………………………....74
Figure 60. Chris Randolf Bass in costume and wig ………………………………….…75
Figure 61. Olivia Luna in Texas dirt……………………………………………………76

Production Photographs
Figure 62. Production Photograph of the family driving at night……………………….78
Figure 63. Production photograph of the family heading west. ………………………...79
Figure 64. Production Photograph of the Family, ensemble traveling..............................80
Figure 65. Production photograph of ma packing up belongings …................................82

VI
VII
The Grapes of
Wrath
A Costume Design Thesis

Written by Frank Galati

Adapted from the novel by John Steinbeck
A VCU Production co-produced with The Barksdale Theatre
Directed by Tawnya Pettiford-Wates

By Kenann M. Quander

9
 Abstract

THE GRAPES OF WRATH: A COSTUME DESIGN THESIS

By Kenann M. Quander M.F.A.

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master
of

Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010

Major Director: Toni-Leslie James

Head of Costume Design, Department of Theatre

In this thesis, I intend to present an original costume design for John Steinbeck's The Grapes

of Wrath. This production is the first full collaboration of its kind between Virginia Commonwealth

University’s Theatre Department and Barksdale Theatre. This thesis will be a complete account of my

entire design process from the design concept to the finished, realized production. I will be

examining my design choices and finished production photos, including color photographs of my

original renderings, fabric swatches and research. Throughout my thesis, I will be researching ways

to accurately represent the millions of exploited itinerant farm laborers who survived the severe

drought and economic depression of the early 1930s.

10
 Introduction
John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, which was published in 1939. Steinbeck won the

Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Noble Prize for Literature in 1962. The novel was adapted into a play

in the late 1980s by Frank Galati for Steppenwolf Theatre’s production and moved to Broadway in

1990. The play remains true to the original award-winning novel whereas the movie adaptation by

Darryl F. Zanuck and John Ford buckled under the controversies surrounding the novel and

dramatically changed the ending. Steinbeck’s novel is set during the Great Depression and focuses on

a family of sharecroppers, the Joads. Driven from their home in Oklahoma by drought, the Joads

become seduced by the promise of work in California. So, they pack up their belongings and head

west, seeking peace of mind and a promising future. While traveling to California, they encounter

hundreds of families, also influenced by the same hope of work and a better life.

The Grapes of Wrath Synopsis

Galati’s adaptation starts with Tom Joad, the eldest son returning from prison. On his journey

home, he meets Jim Casy, a former preacher, and finds his family has been forced off their land.

When Tom finally finds his family at his Uncle John’s farm, he is confused, yet happy to be home.

The family tells Tom what happened and they quickly decide to move west to find the opportunities

for work promised in the flyers being handed out. They pack their Hudson Super Six and start

driving, stopping along the way at places where they are charged just to stop and rest in their own

car, by the side of the road. They go from the disparity of Hooverville, which is full of starving

people living on the dream of work in California, to the Weedpatch Camp, a self-governing

agricultural haven still lacking in available resources. They move on to yet another farm promising

work and, unknowingly, become strikebreakers. Tom once again meets up with Casy on the other

side of the strike and realizes what the family has stepped into. Tom witnesses the killing of Casy,

then turns around and kills the man who murdered his friend. Tom leaves the family, promising to

always fight for the underdog. The family moves into a train car, in which Rose of Sharon, the eldest

11
daughter, delivers a stillborn baby. When the train car floods, the family presses on and finds a barn

to take refuge for the night. In the barn, they find a father and son who are barely surviving. The

father is starving, and cannot hold down food, so Rose of Sharon decides to breastfeed the starving

man.

The Dust Bowl was an event, which occurred in 1933 and continued into the 1940’s. It was

due to a combination of severe drought and economic depression creating destitution among farmers.

For eight years crops failed and sandy soil blew through Southern and Central Great Plains. Farmers

were forced to leave their land to head west and became exploited itinerant farm laborers.

The production team for The Grapes of Wrath – Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Director; Dennis

Williams, Scenic Designer; Lynne Hartman, Lighting Designer; and me, Costume Designer –

planned to create a universal and stylized version of the play. The epic nature and universal aspect of

this play makes it a great thesis, as it speaks to the heart of middle class people struggling during an

economic crisis much like the one that we are facing today. While tackling the stylized concept of the

show, we wanted to explore the mental, physical and emotional journeys of these people. My hope

for this production is to capture the dynamics of the economic depression of the 1930s and to capture

the interplay and the transformation of Steinbeck’s characters throughout my thesis.

Script Analysis
While reading the script, I identified with the Joads and, amazingly enough, their speech

pattern, which I found similar to that of the southern African American dialect, peppered with

religious under-tones. The manner in which the Joads express themselves is far bolder and richer than

in other plays written and produced with a Caucasian audience in mind. “Ma. Let „em come. We got

a‟ plenty. Tell „em they got to wash their han‟s. I‟m jus‟ takin‟up the sidemeat now. I made plenty a

bread this Aft… Thank God. Oh! Thank God! Tommy, you ain‟t wanted? You didn‟t bust

loose?”(Galati 17). From a modern perspective, this statement could have been made by a mother of

12
any race, and this universality is what I admire best about this play. While researching, I found a

wealth of images showing African Americans as well as Caucasians traveling and farming during this

era all of them trying to find work and to survive during an economic depression. Because of its

universality and epic nature, the Dust Bowl

affected the course of so many lives, for whites

and blacks alike. Figure 1. Lange’s image of

African Americans during the depression

I had many conversations with Dr.

Pettiford-Wates, the director of this production, about the possibility of casting black actors to play

the Joads instead of the traditional white cast. The director felt that, after reading the script, the

message would be the same with a predominantly black cast or a diverse cast at the very least.

However, the director felt the audience would identify better with the precedent of white actors that

had been set by previous productions.

The biblical references were another aspect of the play that jumped out at me.. Even the title,

which was a suggestion made by Steinbeck’s wife, comes from a biblical passage from Revelations:

“And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of

God.” (14:19-20). The name Rose of Sharon is a reference to the Song of Solomon 2:1. The character

Jim Casy, a lost soul who meets up with the Joad family after knowing them when he was a preacher,

is a symbol of religion and the shaky ground of religion on which a family, like the Joads, may have

stood in this era of hardship.

Steinbeck uses Casy as a narrative tool to make a statement about religion in America, while

the Joads embody religious teachings. The Joads constantly remind Casy that he is a man of the cloth

by asking him to pray for them. In this quote Tom is asking Casy why he stopped preaching. “Casy.

13
I love people so much I‟m fit to bust, sometimes.” An‟ I says, “No, I don‟t know nobody name

Jesus”(Galati 11). Casy and Ma Joad have some of the most moving speeches, as they direct the

religious compass for this show. The family’s faith in religion provides the Joads with the strength to

keep moving. Steinbeck presents a moving portrayal of a family unit – the breakdown of that unit, the

corroding of old traditions, and their strength in numbers and family ties. In this play, we see the

older generation die; and while the parents and their siblings stay and try to keep their families

together, the kids eventually pull away to find their own way in the world. Some are looking for a

different kind of life and some are looking to assert their independence. In this quote, Casy is talking

about the end of the family unit working together, he refers to that unit as holy.“Casy. An‟ it on‟y got

unholy when one mis‟able little fella got the bit in his teeth an‟ run off his own way, kickin‟ and

draggin‟ an fightin‟. Fella like that bust the holiness. But when they‟re all workin‟ together- kind of

harnessed to the whole shebang- that‟s right, that‟s holy”(Galati 21). You get a strong sense of

Steinbeck speaking through his characters to say that the family nucleus is changing and people are

opting to find their own way in the world even during this dark, dramatic time period.

Lastly, but not least, the religious sentiment of “help thy neighbor,” which is a message of

renewal, is portrayed by the Joads’ oldest daughter, Rose of Sharon. This idea grabs the audience and

takes hold at the very end of the show when Rose of Sharon feeds the starving man with her breast

milk that was intended to feed her stillborn baby. After

doing research on the name Rose of Sharon, and

discovering that Christ refers to himself as the rose, I am

lead to believe that Steinbeck wanted Rose of Sharon to

embody the same message as Christ, the Savior of

mankind. When Jesus said,“I am the rose of Sharon, the

lily of the valley,” (Song of Solomon 2:1). This message

is a strong way to end the play. Although the Figure 2.

Lange’s Photograph of a woman and child.

tide of religious sentiment and references are interwoven throughout the entire play, the especially

14
magnanimous and selfless act of Rose of Sharon, sends home the fervent message of the play, that of

making selfless acts to help one’s fellow man. I felt this scene was Steinbeck’s way of saying that we

all need to help and to acknowledge the suffering of other people. It is our responsibility to become

the living embodiment of Christ’s message and his sacrifice for mankind.

The Grapes of Wrath: Research

The research for this show was extensive, but the costumes needed to be simple, as the

content is the meat of the show. For a play with such a powerful, thought provoking message, I began

my research by looking at the original movie posters – I even looked at pieces of the screen

adaptation movie. I watched the beginning and the end before I read the adaptation of the novel. After

reading the script, I started to look for photographs that would give me an accurate portrayal of

Depression-era America in the1930s. The photographs taken by Dorothea Lange and Mike Disfarmer

have served as an account of the makeshift towns, the dilapidated clothing and pain-filled faces of

the migrant people in Steinbeck’s drama.

A life Beyond Limits by Linda Gordon, is a book of photographs taken by Dorothea Lange I

found while researching. She is one of the most acclaimed photographers of her day,. Lange went

from make-shift camp to make-shift camp, taking photographs that accurately captured the disparities

between camps during the Depression era and inadvertently in Steinbeck’s novel. Disfarmer is the

other photographer who captured the people and gave me the detail needed for designing my

costumes. Originally, Disfarmer was named Mike Meyers, a man from a German immigrant family

with Arkansas roots, who rejected his own rural upbringing and renamed himself Dis-farmer. In the

late thirties, he opened his own studio and took pictures of simple farmers in their “Sunday Best.”

15
His website, The Disfarmer Gallery, was a wonderful source for me to see the details of clothing that,

often, are lost to shadows or glares on images taken outside.

Tom Joad Research

I found images that would give me a direction of the costume choices for each character and

would evoke the feeling of the period that I wanted each character to embody. The photograph below

was a point of reference for the character Tom Joad. I loved the shirt and the fedora. What I took

away from the photograph was a relaxed, comfortable, in one’s own skin, feeling I wanted Tom to

possess.

Figure 3. Disfarmer photograph of a young man in the late 1930’s

16
 Figure. 4 Lange’s photograph of a group of men.
Jim Casy Research

I used this photograph to decide what each man would wear and how each character would have

common elements in his costume, while still looking distinct. The costume for Jim Casy’s character

came directly from this photograph. The second man from the left, the man with a coat over his

overalls, inspired the look of Jim Casy. I even like the way his coat does not fit properly. For me, this

look suggested that he may have had a distinctive past at one point, and now seems to be a man just

trying to survive. The suit coat over the overalls gave me the idea about how to distinguish Casy

from the rest of the cast. The man in this photograph looks like a person who may not have always

worked with his hands, while the rest of the men look like laborers.

17
 Ma Joad Research

Figure 5. Lange’s photograph of a woman and

man in a field

Ma is the backbone of this show. Again, I looked

for costume elements that I felt would give Ma

an air of, being the matriarch, she holds the

family together and does whatever needs to be

done, whether she is healing the sick or

protecting the living. When I found this image of

a woman wearing a man’s suit coat, I knew this

was the element which would bring Ma Joad home for the audience and for me. The details of Ma’s

dress came from the photograph below. The woman getting out of the car has this wonderful flap

detail on the shoulders of her dress. I needed Ma to have some visual interest and this was perfect

because of its structure.

Figure 6. Lange’s photograph of two women

and a dog.

18
Figure 7.Lange’s photograph of a couple in the field
Figure 8. Disfarmers portrait of three men in his studio.

Pa Joad Research

I found a lot of photographs by Lange that looked just like this one of the farmer wearing a

buttoned-up dress shirt tucked into overalls. I wanted something slightly different for Pa, so I started

looking for other images to inspire his costume and found this image of three men dressed in their

“Sunday Best.” I focused on the idea of them all wearing coats over their overalls, but to change it up

so that they would not look too similar to Casy, I decided to make them each wear a shirt or flannel

coat. So, that would still seem like a look that a farmer would wear.

19
 Granpa and Granma Joad Research

Figure 9. Disfarmer portrait of an older couple

This is one of many Disfarmer photographs that I

used to imagine the appearances of Granma and

Granpa Joad in the play. I love the way the older

gentleman is standing as if to say, “Take me, or leave

me.” The woman strikes me as the simple yet God-

fearing grandmother who I had in mind while reading the script. I also took into account the details

that inspired my drawings and final costume choice, such as the Bakelite belt buckle at the older

woman’s waist, the old fashioned suspenders on the grandfather, the level of his pants on his waist

and the calf length, hem of her dress.

Figure 10. Lange’s photograph of an old man

with a suit on.

20
 Figure 11. Lange’s photograph of a boy

Al and Winfield Joad Research

Al is a wild child and this image taken by Lange is such a departure from Lange’s normal format.

This picture is in a section of Gordon’s book featuring boys (mostly headshots) like this one

photographed from the waist-up. I was struck by the similarity of the boys in these photographs and,

especially, by the look in their eyes, which speak to the fact that they all seem to have a story to tell..

The next image is another photograph that Lange had in his montage, which I used to design the look

of the youngest Joad son, earthy and gutsey.

Figure 12. Lange’s photograph of a boy

21
Connie Rivers Research

Connie is another young man in the play who is married to Rose of Sharon. I needed his character to

look somewhat out of place. I saw this photograph by Disfarmer and the young man looked alone and

set apart. It made sense that Connie Rivers would not be wearing overalls because he was not

planning on being a farmer and wanted a different life. According to the director, he was also a lady’s

man who was bound to run off. So, I looked for an image that was far removed from the

sharecropper’s overalls that I was leaning toward as the basis of the costumes characterizing the rest

of the cast. Connie Rivers needed to look like he cares a about his personal appearance in order to

attract the ladies.

Figure 13. Disfarmers portrait of a young man in defiant pose.

22
Figure 14. Lange’s photograph of a young woman thinking.

Rose of Sharon Research

I looked at so many images of young women, the details of Rose of Sharon’s costume were

inspired by a composite of many photographs. I cannot say her look came from any one source. This

particular photograph from Lange gave me the right feelings to dress Rose of Sharon. I imagined this

photograph representing her after Connie leaves and she is forced to face a future that seems bleak.

Looking closely, it becomes apparent that the woman is wearing shoes without stockings. Images like

this one made me feel okay about having a stage filled with women wearing their shoes without

stockings.

23
Ruthie Joad Research

Ruthie is the Joads’ youngest daughter. After looking at these photographs, I had two things to

consider when designing her costume. The first consideration was the hand-me-down concept. None

of these little girls in the Lange

photograph is wearing a dress that fits

her, so I wanted that element of poverty

incorporated into the costume. The Peter

Pan collar was another detail that I

wanted in my costume. The next image

by Lange features a girl whose dress has

a gathering at the sleeves. I looked at this

detail when designing Ruthie’s dress, as

it adds a little feminine flair

Figure 15. Lange’s image of little girls

by a car

Figure 16. Lange’s image of a young woman alone

24
 Uncle John and Noah Joad Research

Uncle John and Noah are the brothers who I saw connecting because of their awkwardness. I

looked at many photos like this image of men lined-up. Seeing

what connects them and separates them is a concept that keeps

coming up because it is an idea that I had to explore in order to

separate the brothers – the young from the old and the children

from the parents.

Figure 17. Lange’s photograph of men in open wagon.

Ensemble Research

Lastly, but not least, the ensemble was a large part of the design concept. The images that I

found in Lange’s photographs were of families and large groups of men in transition. I looked at

many of these images to find a cross section of people who could help me cement this cast in the

world of the 1930s.

25
 Figure 18. Lange’s image of a poor family

Figure 19. Lange’s portrait of a large family gathered together

26
 Design Concept for The Grapes of Wrath

The design concept always starts with the text and the research and, for a costumer, it ends

with the fabric and finalized renderings. The first thing I start with is the color palette because that

leads to the fabrics. I started selecting fabrics and thinking about the color renderings before I met

with the director because I knew a large portion of this show would be pulled from costume stock or

bought directly. The director and I agreed that a natural color palette was a tremendous source of our

inspiration and would set the right tone for a play about a family constantly traveling. I originally

envisioned shades of brown, tan and orange presenting the sky at sunset or a barn made of wood, as

all of this would serve to decorate the Joads’ world. I focused on fabrics the Joads could have made

or bought easily – fabrics that looked homespun. Along with cloth that could be dyed and distressed

with little effort, like loose woven cottons, flannel and linens, I bought a lot of fabric samples with

flowers on them because I came across

one photograph of a little girl in the

forefront [dress portrays a wonderful play

on flowers] and a woman (probably her

mother) in the background--. The woman

had on a torn apron, much like those

described in the play when Ma tears a

piece of cloth off her apron. These

images are a huge part of how my design

concept was born, for The Grapes of

Wrath.

Figure 20. Lange’s photograph of a little girl during the Depression

27
While thinking about the concept, I also reflected on the literal journey that Steinbeck’s characters

take. Their clothes need to be an accurate account of the stress and toll that this journey exacts on

the characters during the course of the play. For example, their clothes should capture the Joads’

transition from suffering to hope as they move from Hooverville to the Weedpatch Camp.

Hooverville is a shantytown that serves as an example of the ecological desperation found during

the Depression, while the Weedpatch Camp offers the Joads hope and order in a carefully

constructed, self–sufficient community of self-governing agriculturalists. Establishing the transition

between these locations is achieved through the careful balance found in my costume design

concept.

The Joads in Design Meetings

At the first design meeting, Dr. Pettiford-Wates and I talked about the family members. The

Joads needed to be a strong focus of color and the director wanted bold, eye-catching colors that

would keep them the central focus in the play. We agreed that the family would stay in the same

base costume for the entire show, but the older characters and children, like Granma, Pa, Noah and

Connie, who would take on ensemble roles after they left the family they needed versatile

costumes. Rose of Sharon was brought up in the meeting because of her pregnancy pad.

I wanted to know how pregnant a girl who has been eating regularly should be. The director

did not envision Rose of Sharon becoming too big in the process of the show, especially because

she loses the baby at the end. The other topic up for discussion was Tom Joads’s return from jail

because in the script, he wears clothes that have been issued to him, before Rose of Sharon gives

him the shirt that he always worn. This made a nice transition for a costume change, but I needed to

know how significant a change the director wanted. She felt that Tom should change out of his coat

and first shirt, but that his pants would stay the same.

28
 The next few pages are images of my preliminary fabrics and thumbnails that I took to the

first design meeting with the director.

Figure 21. Preliminary costume thumbnails

29
 .

Figure 22. Thumbnails for the women in “Grapes.”

30
Figure 23. Preliminary fabric samples

31
Figure 24. Second pg. of preliminary fabric samples

32
 Preliminary Sketches for The Grapes of Wrath

My final rendering pose is the point where I start to define the individual persona of a

character. How characters relate to the group is a huge part of what they think of themselves [in

character], thus informing the audience how to perceive them. The process of finding the right pose

often takes me longer than drawing the first rendering of a character. Men outnumber women in this

show, so I had to address the issue of what each man would wear to give him his own identity, yet

keep him in the realm of a 1930s migrant worker. I needed to show the characters’ similarities in age

and purpose in the play through my costume combinations, which made my preliminary sketches

very important.

33
Figure 25. Preliminary sketch for Tom Joad

34
Figure 26. Preliminary sketch for Jim Casy

35
Figure 27. Preliminary sketch for Ma Joad
36
Figure 28. Preliminary sketch for Pa Joad

37
Figure 29. Preliminary sketch for Granma Joad

38
Figure 30. Preliminary sketch for Granpa Joad

39
Figure 31. Preliminary sketch for Al Joad

40
Figure 32. Preliminary sketch for Connie Rivers

41
Figures 33. Preliminary sketch for Rose of Sharon

42
Figure 34. Preliminary sketch for Uncle John

43
Figure 35. Preliminary sketch for Noah Joad

44
Figure 36. Preliminary sketch for Ruthie Joad

45
Figure 37. Preliminary sketch for Winfield Joad
46
 Ensemble and Scenic Transitions Ensemble and Scenic Transitions

In the first design meeting, the director and I discussed having the ensemble in a

monochromatic color palette. Upon entering into the world of the Joads, an ensemble member would

solidify himself or herself into the world of the family by taking on a costume piece with more color,

such as a coat, a sweater, or a tie. There were to be no complete costume changes in the show, but

through the use of hats, coats and aprons, the ensemble would effectively show the transition from

one character to another. I thought this was an interesting idea but not completely feasible because of

the size of the cast.

Days later, the scenic designer Dennis Williams and I would agreed that I would restrict the

color palette for the costumes to light browns, going more towards tans and oranges, and he would

keep his pallet in the darker wood shades, so the cast would be less likely to blend in.

Figure 38. Production photograph of the scenic environment

47
 My second design meeting was with Dr. Pettiford-Wates, Dennis Williams, and Ron Keller,

the scenic design supervisor for the production. In this meeting, I got a sense of where my costumes

fit into the world of the scenic environment, which was still in development. It was important and

useful to talk about costume transitions that would affect the scenic transitions. The meeting was

helpful because I could clearly see how the scenic designer was blocking the movement of the play.

I presented my preliminary renderings and fabric samples taken from the Reproductionfabric.com

website. I told the director that after going through stock at Theater Four/Barksedale Theatre and our

costume stock, our original monochromatic color scheme for the ensemble would have to be changed

to blue. This would save us money and time, but it would also keep the cast from blending in with the

background, while preserving our natural color concept. In Hooverville, the ensemble needed to look

extremely disheveled and ragged so that it could be juxtaposed with the Weedpatch camp’s clean and

orderly environment. We talked about the cast wearing clean aprons and the men changing their shirts

to enforce the change in environment for the Joads.

48
 Final Costume Renderings

The Grapes of Wrath

In the second design meeting with the director, Ron Keller and I talked about the pride of the

Joads. They felt that the Joads would have a strong sense of pride in the way that they presented

themselves, or at least in the first act when the family is just starting out on their journey. This

conversation directly affected the way I finished my final renderings, some of the ragged hems and

patchwork that I had in my preliminary sketches disappeared.

I start my renderings by deciding on the paper and the medium which I am going to use. For

this set of renderings, I broke out of my usual rendering style and chose fashion recycled paper and

soft pastels, which can get extremely messy, so I used a fixative in between layers. I used the chalk

the same way I use gauche. Starting with a light base of color and then deciding which areas need

more color or need to be highlighted and shadowed. I chose to buy very expensive Rembrandt soft

pastels – and this decision paid off, as the color coverage was amazing, the colors mixed beautifully,

and I rendered with a lot of movement. I paint the same way, so my first layer of color was very

defined and less blended. So, when Ron Keller and Toni Leslie James, the head of the costume

department, pointed out that the way I rendered was pulling the focus from the costumes themselves,

I went back in and blinded the pastels, darkening the prints and adding more shading to make the

clothes look worn and less dramatic. The color of the recycled paper made all the colors pop. I prefer

to use color paper when doing renderings because I like bold, dramatic statements when I design and

white paper can sometimes wash out all of the color that a designer lays down.

The following pages are my final renderings. If we built that costume in the costume shop, I

included the fabric swatch.

49
Figure 39.

50
Figure 40.

51
Figure 41.

52
Figure 42.

53
Figure 43.

54
Figure 44.

55
Figure 45.

56
Figure 46.

57
Figure 47.

58
Figure 48.

59
Figure 49.

60
Figure 50.

61
Figure 51.

62
 Build Process
Over-Dyeing and Bleaching Fabric Samples
Designing The Grapes of Wrath has proved to be a balancing act between light and dark, hope

and despair, survival and oblivion. In the process of organizing my color palette, I had to think about

the amount of disparity that these costumes would need to reflect. Some would argue that the

costumes need to be worn-looking, but determining the extent to which they would appear worn was

the true challenge of this piece, as I wanted the Joad family to look worn, not thread-bare. So, their

clothing needed to be over-dyed to give them a well-used and overly washed look.

The very first thing I did before deciding on the final fabrics was to take my fabric samples

from Reproductionfabrics.com and bleach them. When that failed to remove enough color, I turned to

Rite dye’s white wash to lighten the fabrics. Then I turned the fabrics upside down and dyed the

fabric in Rite dye, focusing on tan and pearl grey. This process is called over-dying and is commonly

used to soften or darken a fabric that is going to be used on stage. This process was important because

I needed to see how light the fabrics could become without losing their patterns altogether and to see

what color I could dye the fabric to make it look dirty and worn.

The fabric samples below are examples of fabrics that I dyed and white washed. One side is

bleached or white-washed and the other side is dyed tan. Even though my color palette was based in

blue, most costume pieces were dyed tan so they would have a dust-coated look about them.

63
Figure 52. White washed fabric samples.

64
Figure 53. White washed and over dyed fabric samples.

65
Toni-Leslie James’s Email to the Costume Design Majors about Distressing Done

on Scottsboro Boys for The Grapes of Wrath

February 13, 2010

Hello all!

I'm working with the artist, David Caudle, on the Scottsboro

Boys. David takes the distressing of clothing to a high plane
and has agreed to come to VCU free of charge to do a tutorial
on the distressing of clothing. He has a masters in costume

and scenic art from Florida State and happens to also be an

accomplished and published playwright. His current play is
featured in this month's VCU English department magazine. I've

done a lot of distressing myself, but I'm totally fascinated

by David's work and thrilled he's working on our show.
Yesterday he gave Cailin, Nicky and I a brief tutorial, and I

realized it's all in the highlights. .

1. He washes everything in powdered Cascade dishwasher

detergent. This breaks down the fabric.

2. He does any over-dying required.
3. He hits it with sandpaper or a metal grater or file if

needed.
4. Paints in the shadows and any dirt. Usually done with a
hand held spray bottle. He also uses liquid leather paints

extremely watered down. They do not dry clean out.

66
5. Using a very light grey or med gray, he dry brushed the
highlights where they naturally occur on slightly damp fabric.
6. He dry brushes a watered down yellow into the highlights
for the aged effect.

Examples of his distressing for the Boys are evident in these

clothes, which were brand-spanking new.

Figure 54. Distressed jean jacket next to the original jacket for Scottsboro Boys.

67
 Distressing Costumes for The Grapes of Wrath

The letter on the last page was sent to us by professor Toni-Leslie James from her production

of Scottsboro Boys, which was a primary source for our own distressing process. There was an

extreme amount of distressing and painting required to accurately portray the clothing of this period. I

think that for a play like The Grapes of Wrath, the distressing process can become all-consuming

There was so much to accomplish and each piece called for a certain level of distressing. We used

several techniques to get the clothes to the point where we felt they were properly distressed. First,

we dyed them or bleached them; then, we used Cascade to break down the fibers. Josh used at least

half a box per load to get the costumes to fade and soften. The Cascade also helped to make costumes

that were newly bought look old and sun-bleached. Then, we had the students grate the clothes with

sandpaper, rashers and cheese graters to create holes at stress points near elbows, knees and

necklines. On several dress coats, we used bleach and leather dyes on

the stitching or seam lines of the garments to make them look faded in

certain locations. After a week of doing this, I had to re-asses the

impact this was having on the clothes. From my point of view, it was

not achieving a very dramatic effect, so I decided to turn to Shumutz

(Wax stick used to replicate mud and dirt), a common theatrical

distressing and dirtying agent. Shumutz is set into a costume by using

heat, so we first applied blow dryers to one piece at a time.

Figure 55. Example of wholes put into costume for The Grapes of Wrath

However, then the amount of clothes began to outnumber the hands holding the blow dryers,

so we put the clothes in the dryer. We left the clothes in the dryer for at least a half an hour per load.

This process was probably the most effective way to get theses clothes to a point were the lights

68
would not drown out all of our work. This process was very slow and we continued distressing them

up until final dress. This is my second show distressing costumes and both times the costume shop

staff has had to distress the costumes up until the last possible moment. Both times, it was about the

level of distressing needed to please the director and the designer and seeing the effect of the newly

distressed layer under the production lights.

Figure 56. An example of Schumutz being used on costumes to make them look dirty

69
Figure 57. Example of distressing on Olivia Luna’s dress

70
 Fittings and Final Costume Selections
for The Grapes of Wrath

When we came back from winter break, rehearsals started and I sent out a e-mail to outline the

order of fittings and to remind everyone that time was limited and that several people still needed to

come into the shop to have their measurements taken. On the first day of rehearsals, we had two

fittings with Marta who played Ma Joad and Jai, our Rose of Sharon. They tried on their muslin

dresses and, other than a few miner changes, the dresses fit them fine, I was very specific about where

the fullness needed to sit. Rose of Sharon goes through various stages of pregnancy, so getting the

right fullness to accommodate a baby pad was key to shaping the dress. I wanted the fullness to be

consolidated on either side of Jai in the front and the back because she was going to have a baby

bump which would create it’s own fullness.

The rest of the fittings did not go the same way because Stage Management created a sign-up

sheet for the actors but did not always tell us when the actors were coming in. The other hurdle with

fittings and measurements was casting; despite the director’s best efforts, the casting was only half-

way complete. As of the second week, I was still asking Stage Management for a time to meet with

the actors playing Uncle John, Granma and all of the children. The problems I had with this process

ranged from actors living so far away that they did not want to come in until rehearsal, to children

having school work, which made it impossible for them attend a fitting before their rehearsal.

One actor playing Uncle John made us aware of the fact that union rules said he had a ten-

hour turn around before having to return to a production. While all of these reasons were legitimate,

they did nothing to help the stress placed on me by a demanding production schedule. All of the

men’s fittings went very smoothly and everyone fit into the pieces made for them. Most of the

costumes were pulled or bought specifically for each actor, so it was important to me that the clothes

be comfortable and look casual. I made my final costume selections based on what each piece offered

each actor. For example, I bought a green dress for Olivia Luna, but two days later, I went back to

Halcyon, a Vintage store where I bought many of my key pieces, and found a beautiful blue dress that

71
worked within my color palette. In that case, I scrapped the green dress for a back-up and put Olivia

in the blue dress.

Figure 58. Jenny Hann in Costume

Jenny Hann and Nicole Carter, played ensemble parts and, while all of the girls fit into the

dresses that I either pulled or bought from Halcyon, I spent a lot of time switching around their final

costumes. I wanted them to look feminine and I wanted the dresses to say something about the

characters they needed to play. When rehearsals started and the director assigned parts, it made

assigning the correct dress to each actor much easier. For example, Jenny plays a wife and a teenager

daughter in this play, so I needed to give her something that could transition with the help of a

72
sweater or a headscarf. Because Nicole is the only woman in the play who plays a male, she needed a

dress that could accommodate this transition, and this wrap dress was a perfect choice.

Figure 59. Nicole Carter in Costume.

73
 Wigs and Make-up for The Grapes of Wrath
Originally, I did not want to use wigs and wanted to keep the make-up minimal, as I wanted

everyone to look as natural as possible. However, as casting moved along, Chris Bass Randolph was

cast in the role of Granma and, while her age was right, her hair was a red-orange color that I had not

expected, and I pulled several wigs. I pulled a couple of possible wigs for actresses that either did not

want to cut their hair or had hair that was so short it did not appear feminine. Many of my research

images had women wearing short bobs and I hoped I could get this in the play, but despite my best

efforts, the director and the actors were against the idea. Also, it turned out that the director was more

against using wigs than I was, so Chris was the only female who wore a wig in the show.

Figure 60. Chris Randolf Bass in

costume and wig.

Make-up turned out to be a very important element – more important than I originally

74
 Figure 61. Olivia Luna in Texas dirt

planned. The director wanted the boys to have old

bruises on their faces and for the cast to look messy

with dirt smeared on their faces. After consulting

with Maura, a professor in the costume department, I went and bought Texas dirt and Plains dirt at

Premier Costumes, a local costume store. Texas dirt and Plains dirt are loose-tinted powders that can

be used to distress costumes or, in this case, to smudge actors’ faces for an authentic Dust Bowl

existence. Dr. Pettiford-Wates wanted the Joad children and the ensemble to have dirt on their faces

from the top of show while the Joads' characters started applying make-up at intermission and

continued to apply it from then on.

75
 Post-Show Process Evaluation
With Production Photographs

My goals coming to this production process were simply to create an accurate portrait of a

farming family during the Depression era. I feel that the director’s goals were geared along the same

lines. However, she also wanted a stylized version of this show and I was all for that, but ultimately,

my costumes came back to what I could call truth, or as close to the truth as possible. There is a

moment in the play when Journey Entzminger, a child actress, stands up from behind a crate and says

that her brother is starving and cannot hold down any food. And, in that moment, I saw my truth as

the beauty of the show that I helped to design. I wanted to represent the brutal honesty of the book,

capturing the reality of a sharecropper’s family in the 1930s. sometimes, I feel that designers spend

too much time in theatre trying to capture a dream, instead of embracing reality, which is what helps

us to see the truth of this world, even if it is a private truth. As artists and designers, we tend to focus

inward and forget about reality. As a society, we glorify the idea of wealth and we only see the worth

in expensive items. But, The Grapes of Wrath is a show that references the Bible, so I made some

inferences as well. Jesus was a king with no throne and, yet, he was still the King of Kings, living

meekly and humbly without weakening the greatness of his image here on earth. Yet, when we show

people on stage, we cannot transcend this need to pretty the poor. I see the Joads as a symbol,

Steinbeck’s symbol of what Christ stood for – helping your fellow man.

76
 Figure 62. Production Photograph of the family driving at night

from working with a director during the stressful time of a technical week to collaborating between

two costume shops, I learned a lot during this production process. I am not going to pretend this

process was easy. Because The Grapes of Wrath was the first full collaboration between Barksdale

and VCU, a lot of things that we take for granted in the process of our normal technical week were

ignored, such as transporting student workers from the costume shop to Barksdale. The actual

technical rehearsal in costumes started at six every night, which made it hard to get done with my

classes and make it there with all the costumes that had notes from the previous night. I was a one-

woman traveling caravan during this technical process. If it were not for my assistant who had his

own car, I would have had an even harder time finishing this show.

77
 Figure 63. Production photograph of the family heading west.

This was also the first technical rehearsal process in which I have been involved during which

there were so many snow days that school cancellations effectively closed the costume shop and shut

down dress rehearsal for a night. When I learned that school had been cancelled one morning, I was

heading into Barkesdale to continue distressing costumes with another graduate student, Josh Quinn.

There was no one in the costume shop so I assumed there would not be any work done for that night’s

dress rehearsal. I decided not to attend dress that night, which prompted the director to send me a
78
page-and-a-half-long letter about her disappointment in my performance up to that point. Recalling

these events, I would say that while working as a designer, I learned that you always show up. The

fact that I went that night and brought the notes from the following night is irrelevant; the costume

designer should be present for the cast and the director because rehearsal is a time to be supportive,

even as much as it is the time to accomplish work.

Figure 64. Production Photograph of the Family and the ensemble traveling

From the beginning, I was told by Ginnie Willard, the production supervisor for Barkesdale

Theatre, that as soon as the show was in the theatre, the Barksdale staff would take over the play.

However, this happened only on a very marginal scale. A week after the play opened, I was called

and e-mailed by Sue Griffin, the costume shop manager for Theatre Four/ Barksdale Theatre, and

Rick Brandt, the play’s stage manager, to find out who was doing the repairs for the play. Firstly,

they should not have been calling me at this point; they should have been calling Karl Green, the

VCU shop manager. Looking back, I should have let them discuss the issues of moving large
79
quantities of costumes back and forth and collaborating on repairs and helping with distressing. In the

future, the costume shop managers need to have a very active role in organizing the dress rehearsal

process and delineating the workload. I ran back and forth for weeks, replacing and fixing costumes,

before those tasks fell to a stage management freshman on run crew.

Conclusion

Now, with all said and done, this was an amazing collaborative design process. Working on

such an epic and universal play like The Grapes of Wrath showed me what it means to move an

audience through my costume designs centered on the strength of spirituality, the kindness of sharing,

the importance of family teachings and passing down the spirit of survival to the next generation. The

kindness that it takes to help others, even when you are starving, is the message I will always

remember from The Grapes of Wrath. For me, this play is about the bonds of family, as the Joads

kept moving through pain and death and, like them, we gain strength from laughter and tears. “ Easy

you got to have patience. Why Tom. - us people will go on livin‟ when all them people is gone. Why

Tom, we‟re the people that live. They ain‟t gonna wipe us out. Why, we‟re the people- we go on”

(Galati 65). This moving and poignant folk wisdom, spoken by Ma in The Grapes of Wrath is part of

the substantive message this play conveys to its public. I constantly related to it spiritually whenever I

felt as though I was losing my focus and my patience was running out; I found the determination to

continue on and allow the development of my costume designs to support the important artistic

interpretation of this play.

80
Figure 65. Production photograph of ma packing up belongings

81
 Works Cited

Galati, Frank. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Dramatists Play Service Inc. New York,

NY.1991.

Gordon, Linda. Dorothea Lange: A life beyond limits .W.W. Norton & Co., New York, NY.2009

Disfarmer Gallery. Black and white photographs of rural America in the 1940’s. 2003

<http://www.disfarmer.com>

Cunfer, Geoff. On the Great Plains: Agriculture and Environment. Texas A&M University Press,
2005.

Gregory, James N. American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California.
Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 1989.

Addendum

Song of Solomon 2:1 (King James Version)

Rank: 857 Book of Song of Solomon Chapter 2

1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. 2 Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the
young women. 3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young
men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4 Let him lead me to the banquet
hall, and let his banner over me be love. 5 Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I
am

Revelation 14:19 (King James Version)

Rank: 7848 Book of Revelation Chapter 14

And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the
great winepress of the wrath of God. (KJV)

6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who
live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Fear God
and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens,
the earth, the sea and the springs of water." 8 A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is
Babylon the Great,' which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.""" 9 A
third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and its image and
receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand," 10 They, too, will drink of the wine of God's
fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with
burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 1

82
 Credits
Production Photographs taken by:
Jay Paul Photography http://www.jaypaulphoto.com

Appendix
A page from the Costume Plot and Budget for The Grapes of Wrath

Character Item Vender Price

two piece suit (no
TOM JOAD match) coat-pull pants-buy $80.00
henley target $20.00
shirt build (stock fabric)
cap/hat pull
socks target $10.00
low top boots pull
hankerchief/bandana pull

PA JOAD overalls pull/buy $80.00

stripe shirt build
fedora pull
hankerchief pull
tall boots pull
socks target $10.00
"t" shirt target $10.00

GRAMPA "t" shirt pull

suspenders pull
three piece suit pull
fedora pull
beat-up dress shoes pull
socks pull
dress shirt pull

Al JOAD denim shirt pull

83
 "t" shirt pull
jeans gentelmans emporium $80.00
cowboy boots pull
socks pull
hankerchief/bandana pull

JIM CASY wife beater pull

little dress coat- pull
overalls pull $80.00
cap pull
shoes (old dress
shoes) pull
fingerless gloves pull
socks pull
total $370.00

A page from the Run Plot for The Grapes of Wrath

pg.63 leaving pg. 65 Pg.70 up

Character Actor camp weedpatch camp north
TOM * * *
CASY *
PA JOAD * * *
GRANPA
MULEY
NOAH
AL * * *
UNCLE JOHN * * *
WINFIELD * * *
FLOYD *
WILLY
CONNIE
MA JOAD * * *
GRANMA
ROSEOFSHARON * * *
RUTHIE * * *
ELIZABETH
SANDRY *
ALI'S GIRL *
MRS. WAINRIGHT
AGGIE WAINRIGHT
5 SALESMEN
PROPRIETOR
DUST BOWL GROUP * *
MAN GOING BACK
YOUNG MAN
GAS ATTENDENT
OWNER
MAYOR OF HOOVER
CONTRACTOR
DEPUTY SHERRIF
OFFICER
84
 1 AGRICUL.
OFFICER
2 AGRICUL
OFFICER
WEED DIR. *
BOOKKEEPER *
GUARD *
SECOND MAN *
CAMP GUARD *
HOOPER GUARD *
FIRST MAN *
3 MEN/CLUBS *
PEOPLE IN BARN

Pages from the Costume Run Chart for Cast and Crew

CHARACTER ACT/SCENE COSTUME

Charley Raintree ALL T-Shirt

JIM CASEY Overalls
Work Coat
Shirt (Stripe)
Cap
Boots
Socks
Bandana
II-3 Without (Coat)
Joe Carlson I 1-2 Grey Prison Shirt
TOM JOAD Suit Coat

ALL Plaid Shirt

Red Long Johns
Work Pants
Cap
Boots
Bandana
ON THE ROAD 4A,6A,2A Coat
Michale Hawke ALL Black Plaid Shirt
PA JOAD Overalls
T shirt
Brown cowboy hat
Boots
Socks

Marta Rainer ALL Dress

MA JOAD Brown Hat
Shoes

ON THE ROAD 4A,6A,2A Coat

Tom McGranahan ALL Shirt
GRANPA Pants
Wife beater
Vest*
Sweater
85
 Boots
Socks
Glasses

Chris Randolph ALL Dress

GRANMA Apron
Headscarf
Shoes
thigh highs

CHARACTER ACT/SCENE COSTUME

ON THE ROAD 4A,6A Shawl
Andrew Donnelly ALL Red Shirt/
AL JOAD Long Johns/t shirt
Jeans
Boots
Hat
Bandana
ON THE ROAD 4A,6A,2A Jean Coat
Matthew Bloch I / II Reddish T shirt
NOAH JOAD Long Johns
Overalls
Boots

Officer II 1 Blue shirt/Badge

Blue Jeans
Cowboy hat
Dancer/ II 2 belt/gun holster
Man w/ Club Jeans
Bandana
II 3/ 4 Plaid shirt

Jai Goodman ALL Dress

ROSE OF SHARON Apron
Head Scarf
Shoes
*baby pad (2)
Hair Barrett

Bo Wilson ALL White Henley

UNCLE JOHN Gray/ tee shirt
Overalls
Straw Hat
Socks
Boots
Riley Pendleton I/II T shirt
CONNIE RIVERS Blue Dress Shirt
Work Pants
Suspenders
Boots
Socks

Dancer II 2 Bandana
86
 White shirt/Blue stripe
First Man II 3/4 Blue Flannel(over susp.)

CHARACTER ACT/SCENE COSTUME

Brian Gunter ALL Greyed Stripe Shirt

Guitar Man Faded Overalls
Cowboy Boots
Undershirt
Bandana
Distressed hat

Coat (distressed)
MULEY GRAVES I2 gloves(fingerless)

Nicholas
Webster I/II Henley
Ensemble Vest
Pants
Shoes
Bandana

1st Aggie Officer I 8A Blue Flannel Shirt

Belt w/ green pouch
Hat
Proprietor II 1 White Long John shirt
Tan overalls
Hat

Floyd II 1 Gray top

Brown Cap

Weed Patch
Director II 2 Work Coat
Brown Hat

Nicholas
Webster, cont.

Narrator 3 II 3 Ensemble cost.

Man 2 II 3/4 Ensemble cost.

87
 Vita

Kenann Modjeska Quander was born December 14, 1979, in Washington D.C. She graduated from
Hammond High School, Columbia, Maryland in 1998. She received her associate degree in fashion
design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York in 2000 and received her
bachelor of fine arts in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia in
2003. In 2003, she was awarded an internship from The Academy of Arts and Sciences in Los
Angeles, California.

88